Lesson 9. Creating Frames

A standard HTML page consists of one region that encompasses the entire browser window. Frames split the browser window into two or more panes; each pane contains independent HTML content. Each of these independent regions is a subset of the larger browser window that contains them. Frames are commonly used to define navigation and content areas for a page. Typically, the navigation area remains constant, and the content area changes each time a navigation link is clicked. This use of frames can be extremely helpful to a user for navigation through a site. Using frames can also make a site easier to modify because there is only one navigation page to update. On the other hand, frames can degrade a Web site if they are poorly implemented: They might be confusing and disorienting to users if they do not provide a clear site structure, they might make it difficult for users to bookmark or find their way back to a previous page, or they might make the content difficult to view if they are not properly sized and formatted.